São Tomé and Principe: Primary education, teachers

Key figures

Over five years it is up 0.85% from 1,183 in 2012 (0.17% a year on average, compounded). Since 1971 it is up 340.22% from 271 in 1971 (3.27% a year on average, compounded). The World Bank has no value for 21 of the years in between; the chart leaves those gaps open rather than joining across them.

What the numbers say

In 2017, São Tomé and Principe's primary education, teachers rose 5.4% on 2016 (from 1,132 to 1,193).

Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +1.1% and a typical year strayed about 10.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 23.4% in 2016 and the biggest yearly fall was 14.3% in 1984. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2009 to 2017 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 26% of the movement over 8 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

Closest to São Tomé and Principe in the 2017 ranking

• Uganda — 1st of 3: 207,238
• Panama — 2nd of 3: 19,072

What this measures

Primary education, teachers refers to the total number of teachers at primary level, including full-time and part-time teachers.

Limitations: The precision of this indicator can be influenced by the enumeration method used, such as headcount or 'full-time equivalent' count of teachers.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 26 values

Primary education, teachers in nearby economies

• Angola — 96,016 (2023)
• Benin — 59,742 (2022)
• Botswana — 16,622 (2022)
• Burkina Faso — 91,764 (2024)
• Burundi — 43,226 (2025)
• Cabo Verde — 3,031 (2022)
• Cameroon — 121,453 (2024)
• Central African Republic — 9,756 (2016)
• Chad — 54,801 (2024)
• Comoros — 3,952 (2024)
• Congo, Dem. Rep. — 561,172 (2023)
• Congo, Rep.

More education data for São Tomé and Principe

• Primary school starting age (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Lower secondary school starting age (years) — 12 (2025)
• Secondary education, duration (years) — 6 (2025)
• Primary education, pupils — 37,172 (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (% gross) — 110.38% (2017)
• School enrollment, primary, private (% of total primary) — 1.38% (2017)
• School enrollment, primary (gross), gender parity index (GPI) — 0.97 (2017)
• Primary education, pupils (% female)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is São Tomé and Principe's primary education, teachers?

1,193 in 2017, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1971?

It is up 340.22% from 271 in 1971 (3.27% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1,291 in 2009 and the lowest 271 in 1971.

Is the latest change in primary education, teachers unusual for São Tomé and Principe?

In 2017, São Tomé and Principe's primary education, teachers rose 5.4% on 2016 (from 1,132 to 1,193). Across the 13 yearly changes before that (1972 to 2016), the average change was +1.1% and a typical year strayed about 10.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

The World Bank's World Development Indicators, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API..

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SE.PRM.TCHR, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Data API, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), uri: https://databrowser.uis.unesco.org/resources, note: The data are obtained through the UIS API. Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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